


Nanoprobes

by Querion



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F, Love on an alien planet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-04-27 19:15:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14432298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Querion/pseuds/Querion
Summary: Seven of Nine and Janeway go on an Away Mission. Janeway gets seriously injured. They are out of contact with their ship.





	1. A collective of two

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for your support. Kudos and comments keep me going. Without them i am nothing :)

"Captain, are you alright?" Seven asked, worry and concern tingeing her voice.

"Is that a trick question, Seven? Look at me. I`m shredded to the bone. I`m amazed that i can still talk coherently. Oh, let`s drop the formalities and call me Kathryn." Janeway said with a weak smile. Seven`s blue eyes were full of tears. She could barely look at the bloodied form of her commanding officer and friend lying on the ground, helpless. Her only consolation was the quick thinking where she beamed them off the Delta Flyer just in time before it crash landed on this beautiful uninhabited planet. They materialized on soft green grass. Seven quickly got up and checked herself for injuries. She seemed to be fine, even though the material of her bio suit on the left shoulder was torn. The young Borg quickly looked around for the captain. She located her nearby laying sprawled like a puppy`s chew toy which had just been violently tossed about. Seven noted that Janeway was bleeding from the left side of the ribs, completely soaking her command jacket. The right side of her uniform was completely torn revealing a massive spongy dark blue and red bruise. Kathryn had small bruises to her lips and face but otherwise her face was intact. 

 

The young woman forced a watery smile at her friend.

"Yes, Kathryn. Rest now. I must go and examine our shuttle to see what our situation will be. It is nearly sunset so i must also find us somewhere to settle down for the night." With that Kathryn watched Seven walk away towards their shuttle which seemed to be intact to Janeway but she could be hallucinating. 

"I am guilty of injuring the captain. I should not have suggested that course correction. She may die and i have not told her what i wish to say. Will she forgive me for what i have done? I have not told her yet. Perhaps i will tell her when she is better. Twenty two degrees celsius or is it fahrenheit? I must be specific. Be strong for Kathryn. My Kathryn..." Janeway thought she heard these words in her mind. She opened her eyes. She was still lying on the soft green grass and she could see Seven walking around the shuttle then went inside. A few moments later the blonde woman came out. She was carrying a black med-kit strapped over her shoulder and the other hand she was holding a stretcher. Kathryn smiled as the woman approached. 

"Kathryn, i need to examine the extent of your injuries." Seven said as she scanned the fallen woman with a medical tricorder she got from the med kit. Then she carefully removed the torn area and scanned some more. Finally she closed it and knelt next to the captain.

"I have completed the scans. I`m afraid to report that you have two fractured ribs and a bruise to your lungs and a nasty laceration to your gluteal muscles."

"Well, i thought it was worse than that. I`ll live. Now help me onto the stretcher and let`s get onto the Flyer." Janeway said as she attempted to sit up.

"That may be ill advised. Your..." Seven started and posed. For the five seconds Seven paused Kathryn thought she heard her officer`s thoughts. "How should i proceed in explaining this to the captain. How should i tell her that i have injected her with my nanoprobes. Now our thoughts are one. We are a Collective of Two. She will never forgive me. I am afraid." Janeway blinked.

"...injuries were quite severe, Kathryn. I had to do some..." She paused again and Janeway heard her thoughts. "My injuries were more severe than they are now?" Janeway probed gently. She could see how troubled Seven looked but could not figure out her officer`s distress.

"...unethical things otherwise you would have expired. I could not bare to see you expire when i had the means to help you. Will you forgive me? I will understand if you do not forgive me though." Seven said sadly and sighed.

"I will not forgive you for helping me? I don`t understand, Seven. Explain." Janeway said and waited.

"I...used my..." Another pause. Kathryn heard voices in her mind."Shall i tell her that i used my own nanoprobes to keep her alive? She will hate me and our friendship will be over. I cannot bare to lose her. She is everything to me." 

"So you took my clothes off, saw me naked in order to treat me. What does it matter. I`m alive, aren`t i? Come on Seven give yourself some credit. Now are you going to help me get inside or are we going to stay out here and battle against social etiquette and niceties?" Janeway saw the astrometrics officer smile and move on to help Janeway sit up. As Kathryn sat up she noted that her torn side was not bleeding. She was a little bit surprised as she would have bled a bit when the blood clot fell off leaving a fresh wound again. Then she heard the voice again. "She is healing very quickly and well. It is at these moments when i appreciate being part Borg." Janeway`s head turned sharply to look at the young woman.

"Did you say something, Seven? Kathryn asked curiously. She must have hit her head harder than she originally thought.

"Not outwadly, Kathryn..." She left her sentence unfinished. Kathryn looked at her then she suddenly felt exhausted. 

"Let us go, Seven." So the young woman extended the stretcher wheels and gently steered it over the grass towards the Delta Flyer until she lay Kathryn safely on one of the bunk beds.

 

Once inside Seven went out to a nearby stream and brought back some water in a bucket. She warmed it and got some towels. She began the task of cleaning off the dry blood off Kathryn Janeway`s body. As she did so her mind started to wander to nicer places, such somewhere she was alone with her friend. Janeway had dozed off when Seven went down to the stream. When she returned and started helping Janeway wash Kathryn thought she heard her officer`s thoughts. The things she heard were flattering but not quite what Seven would say. "Kathryn is quite aesthetically pleasing. I have a strong urge to kiss her lips, especially her breasts. I should avoid touching her there. I should offer her the face cloth so that she can do it herself. I should recite the pythagorean theorem or perhaps all the theorems i know. Or think about Neelix`s leola root stew. That should offer me the necessary distraction i require. The area of a right angled triangled is... i cannot concentrate. Pi is equal to three point one four..." 

"Seven are you alright?"

"Yes, Kathryn. Just a little distracted, i mean, i am thinking about our predicament."

"I can use my left arm. I can help but i will ask you to wash my back for me, if you don`t mind. Thank you for all you`ve done for us." Kathryn smiled at her friend. Seven smiled back.


	2. M class life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Starfleet captain without a ship versus a content ex Borg drone with a friend all to herself.

The first night on the uninhabited M class planet was uneventful. The following morning Kathryn sat up on her bunk bed and stretched her arms above her head until she heard a `pop` sound coming from her shoulder and hip joints then sighed. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that she could do that. She placed her supposed injured hand on her left side, where her fractured ribs should have been. There was no pain, just a faint scar was seen. She could even use her right arm. How can this be? Kathryn`s mind raced as she tried to make sense of things. Did she imagine the whole shuttle crash thing? The voices in her head where she thought she heard her astrometrics officer`s thoughts? At that moment she heard Seven`s thoughts. "I believe the captain is awake by now. I am sure she would be pleased with my initiative of attempting to set a rudimentary transceiver using equipment we have. I must make her a good breakfast. Perhaps she will begin to like me in the way i like her. No, not like but love. I love Kathryn but i will never tell her." Janeway let out a breath she was unaware she was holding. She was definitely sure that she did not imagine things. She heard her officer`s thoughts but the most important question was: "Why was she able to hear Seven`s thoughts? Unless...." A realization dawned on the captain. "Nanoprobes. Seven must have injected me with nanoprobes to save my life. Why didn`t i think about this before?" Janeway hit her forehead with a palm of her now healed right hand. She was not angry or repulsed by the thought of having millions of little machines swimming around in her body performing healing tasks. If she survived Seven`s assimilation then she can survive being here, wherever `here` was.

 

At dawn Seven of Nine jumped off her bunk which was above Kathryn`s and landed on the deck with the poise of an experienced gymnast. She tiptoed around the Delta Flyer, collecting what she needed to go and construct a transceiver antenna so she could send a distress call to Voyager. There seemed to be something in the atmosphere of the planet which prevented comm signals from penetrating or leaving. It was a frustrating thing for the young woman to know that the star ship was only five light years away from them yet they could not communicate with the ship. She looked around the beautiful place they had crash landed on and wondered why the Flyer`s system malfunctioned. She also took her portable regeneration system out and placed it on a large rock so that it`s solar panels could absorb energy.

"It must be the magnetic storms we saw and followed. They must have interfered with our systems and made us lose control of the landing procedures. Anyway, we are where we wanted to be and alive. So cheer up." Seven heard Kathryn`s thought in her mind.

"Oh no, she knows." The Borg woman thought miserably. "She knows about the nanoprobes. Soon enough i am going to be severely chastised and maybe she will terminate our friendship." She lamented inwardly.

 

The Borg woman returned to the shuttle and went to the galley to prepare breakfast for Kathryn and herself. She was deep in thought and concentration as she made the morning meal of cornflakes, toast, coffee, a pitcher of orange juice and tea. She placed them on a tray and carried it to the small living area. Seven unfolded the table and brought out two chairs which were attached underneath the table.

"Kathryn, breakfast is prepared." Seven called out to her companion.

 

Kathryn got out of bed and headed off to the small shower room. She had replicated clean clothes, towels and a small wash bag. She took off her clothes and stood under the hydro shower. She toweled herself dry and stood in front of the mirror. She looked at the reflection of her naked body and was not surprised to see that all the scars, lacerations and scratches were almost gone in just under twenty four hours. Explanation for the quick recovery could either be the planetary weather acting on her alien physiology or healing due to nanoprobes intervention. Either way she was grateful to be alive and to be alone with Seven. She would deny wanting some time alone with the young woman if asked but this has always been her secret desire. "I wonder what Seven is doing?" She thought to herself. "Kathryn, breakfast is prepared." She heard Seven calling her name.

"Thank you, Seven. You woke up early why didn`t you wake me?" Janeway said as she joined her friend at the table.

"I did not want to disturb your sleep. Sleep enhances healing." The ex drone said as she ate her cornflakes.

"True. So do many other things such as a friend`s quick thinking and intervention, doing chores around and keeping minds active." Kathryn said in a soft tone as she looked deeply into the other woman`s blue eyes.

"Are you certain all those reasons are...acceptable to you?" Seven`s heart was beating fast. She was sure her chastisement was just round the corner but she wondered at the captain`s tone of voice, it was not confrontational but one of gratitude. Could she have misinterpreted it?

"Yes, Seven. All those reasons are acceptable to me. Thanks for saving my life. I am curious though. Did you inject me with nanoprobes? Am i assimilated now? Will i grow implants? I mean i haven`t seen any yet... and also do you know that i can hear your thoughts?" Janeway said as she stretched her arm on the table in front of her and examined it. Seven wanted to caress the smooth arm but refrained.

"I....you were...dying, captain. I had to do something quickly before i lost...i mean before Voyager lost its captain." Seven wanted to say `before i lost my captain` then decided that was too personal so she changed her phrasing to a safer and general term.

"I know you said i was dying and that i was unconscious for a while but i still need to know whether you injected me with nanoprobes or not." Janeway reached her outstretched arm towards Seven and placed her hand over the young woman`s.

"You will not terminate our friendship if i tell you the truth?" The nervous woman asked.

"It will be better if i knew the truth and no i will not terminate our friendship. I cannot afford to lose our precious friendship."

"Thank you. Yes, i did inject you with a small dose of nanoprobes. They repaired your damaged systems and arrested the profuse bleeding. No, you are not assimilated and for this reason you will not grow any implants. As for hearing my thoughts...i believe it merely means that your hearing and minds have been enhanced. It is a temporary side effect. You will also have a strong sense of smell, sight and touch."

"Side effects, huh?" Janeway smiled to herself. I know a few more things about you, now." She had a soft look and a crooked smile aimed at her astrometrics officer. Janeway watched in fascination as Seven`s cheeks flushed.

"I know that you like to recite theorems and pi is your favourite formula." Janeway said.

"There is a special reason why i like pi." Seven said.

"Oh? What is it?"

"It is a secret. Perhaps you will find out soon enough, Kathryn." It was Kathryn`s turn to blush when she remembered why Seven started to recite theorems in her mind to avoid distractions when the young woman was washing Janeway`s naked body the previous afternoon. 

 

It took a few minutes for Janeway to realize that they were, in fact, flirting with each other. Kathryn removed her hand from her companion`s and concentrated on eating her breakfast. They settled in a sort of awkward silence before Seven decided to talk.

"I would like to show you what i have achieved so far. I was attempting to construct a transceiver to boost our comm signals. I require your input, if you are agreeable?"

"Let`s go." So the women finished their meal and walked outside. 

 

The sun was shining brightly. It was strange to see familiar features such as hills, a stream, trees, rocks and grass. The mystery that remained was why was the planet devoid of life? Perhaps this part of the planet had no animal life. Janeway`s scientific mind wanted to know. They worked hard for three hours, digging a hole to place an extended metal rod in the ground which will be used as an antenna for their transceiver. As it got warmer, Kathryn stripped down to the grey tank top she wore under her Starfleet jacket, sat down near a small tree and leaned against it. She opened a bottle of water and drank from it. 

 

Seven watched in fascination as Kathryn`s chest rose and fell. Her eyes were closed. She looked so very relaxed and beautiful. The ex drone used her enhanced vision to trace Janeway`s tank top. There were no undergarments. Kathryn wore no bra under the tank top. Seven felt herself flush with something, a feeling. "What was this strange but pleasant sensation?" She asked herself.

 

Seven went indoors to prepare the midday meal. She decided to bring it outside since Janeway was still asleep under the tree.

"Kathryn, i have brought lunch. Would you like to consume it here or inside?"

"Thank you. No, here`s fine. You should have asked me to come and help. Now i feel guilty for not helping around." The captain said as she sat up.

"You have helped a lot, Kathryn. I would not have been able to place the transceiver antenna alone and you have not terminated our friendship." She smiled shyly. Seven watched Kathryn`s tank top blow in the wind. She could clearly see erect nipples which made her want to touch them. "I wish i was bold enough to take the top off Kathryn and kiss her beautiful breasts. Her lips..." She shook her head to bring her mind to order. 

 

Unknown to the Borg woman, a pair of blue grey eyes watched her as Kathryn listened to the young woman`s thoughts. Janeway cleared her throat and put back her jacket on. She was quite sure she wanted the same thing as Seven but how would she initiate things. She was still a star ship captain. Her ship is out there somewhere searching for her. No, she will have to keep her rebellious body in check. She, however, made an agreement with herself that if Seven initiate things she would indulge her. With that decision made Kathryn tucked into the delicious meal of red kidney bean curry. As she moaned with satisfaction Seven looked on, proud of her culinary skills. A plan was beginning to form in the ex drone`s mind. 

 

That evening there was still no word from the women`s ship. The strange thing was that they sent their distress call to all frequencies including sub space. Unless their messages were bouncing off the atmosphere and reflected back to them, they had no way of knowing this. Could this be the reason why this planet was uninhabited? The women discussed about their predicament and many different things. It was late when they finally called it a night. Janeway slept like a baby while Seven tossed and turned thinking of ways to explore her humanity...and Kathryn`s.


	3. The search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Janeway and Seven settle into a comfortable routine on the planet`s surface, great concern reigns supreme above the planet` surface as the women`s worried crew frantically searches for them.

The next few days the two starfleet officers has settled into a comfortable routine. In the mornings Seven would wake up early to prepare breakfast then she would return to bed as quietly as she could. She did not want to disturb her bunk mate. Then she would take her portable regenerator to the Flyer`s small cargo hold and regenerate for a few hours. The young woman preferred to regenerate in the early hours of the morning because she enjoyed talking to Kathryn at bedtime. They usually talked until about midnight then Kathryn would start yawning then doze off. Seven only managed small amounts of sleep usually a couple of hours at the most. A week had passed and she had learned a lot about the private life of her very private captain and friend. Janeway would set the perimeter alarm a few metres around their camp site in the evenings and they would sit outside for a bit if the weather was nice. On other days the two women would walk along the small stream investigating and discovering different plant life.

 

ABOARD THE STAR SHIP VOYAGER

 

Chakotay had called for another meeting, a third one in a week. He sat at the head of the table, where the captain usually sat, caressing the tattoo above his left eye brow, in an unconscious gesture of worry.

"I want good news, people. That`s an order." He said while looking at Lieutenant B`Elanna Torres the chief engineer. "I know the captain has a plan wherever she is. Those two are the most intelligent people i know. I am confident they are well. My vision quest had positive results but i can`t tell you the specifics. That`s all i can say. Now, why have they vanished from sensors? Is there a worm hole we missed? A subspace land they`ve ended in?"

"Commander, there aren`t any worm holes in this region of space. As for disappearing into sub space that can happen but only if an alien entity pulled them in such as the sporocystian life form, Suspiria. Falling into a sub space region does not happen like falling into a sub space gravity well, but it could happen if this region does have these so called sub space gravity wells. That leaves unusually strong magnetic forces interfering with ships` instruments."

"You`ve lost me, Torres. I need answers, people. Our people may be in trouble."

"B`Elanna is right." Harry Kim spoke for the first time. "We have ruled out Suspiria`s involvement. There aren`t any sub space gravity wells around so that`s ruled out too. The only think is the magnetic interference above the planet we just passed a few days ago. Remember our systems were messed up for a few hours we had to reset a few systems on the main computer? Maybe they fell through the atmosphere, the Flyer`s systems must have been thrown into chaos and maybe that may have caused them to crash land. They may be injured...or worse." The operations officer was almost in tears. His two favourite people were missing and possibly dead.

"Mr Kim`s theory is sound, Commander." Tuvok said. "I suggest we head back to the planet with strong magnetic pull, raise our shields. We need to scan the planet`s magnetic force. We may be able to pick up the faintest ion trails. It is only about five light years from here."

"Those are all brilliant ideas but we can`t take Voyager through the atmosphere, we may not be able to lift off again. I suggest we prepare a probe with enough shielding and see what we can find. We could send them a message that we are around and looking for them. Somehow i know the Delta Flyer is intact...and so are its occupants." The sandy haired helmsman said. 

"Then why are you still seated here for? Do it!" Chakotay ordered simply then cringed. He felt that he was trying to be Voyager`s captain. If the others noted the phrase they did not mention.

 

The group`s enthusiasm was renewed, causing everyone to start talking excitedly at once. Then they soon walked out of the conference room to go and do the commander`s bidding. 

 

The group prepared a probe. They strengthened its shields and placed messages and sent it through the atmosphere of the weird planet. They all watched the probe`s surroundings glowing and almost exploding as it descended through the seven layers of the planet`s atmosphere until it finally disappeared. Then the long wait began where they would find out the truth, whether it would start transmitting telemetry or not, were the captain and Seven alive? Did they perish? Were they even on this planet? It was a very stressful time for the Voyager`s crew.


	4. Wooing Kathryn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The captain and her astrometrics` officer have been stranded on the alien planet for over a week. Seven takes advantage of their situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to update more this weekend. Hope you like this one ;)

Kathryn Janeway sat under her favourite tree watching the alien sun set. She had a pair of binoculars strapped around her neck waiting to use it whenever the glow of the sun had faded. She watched the glowing ball of gases change colour from orange to red then a faint pink as its crescent disappeared into the horizon. The whole scenario of watching the sun set was so familiar to Kathryn that it created a false sense of joy that she was back home. If she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough Janeway was sure she could smell the familiar earthy scents of the dirt and decomposed leaves, of mud and stagnant puddles and flowers in the fields. She decided to indulge her wandering mind for a moment. Kathryn closed her eyes and took a deep breath in then slowly released it. When she opened her eyes the star ship captain had to concentrate hard to remind her wandering mind that she was not in Bloomington, Indiana, that she was still stranded in the Delta Quadrant, thirty five thousand light years away from home. She smiled despite the depressing thought. At least she was stranded with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Kathryn continued to watch the horizon where the sun had just disappeared into. She had her binoculars on. She did not expect to see anything but Kathryn, the scientist, had an open mind. Then she saw it. "A mirage?" Kathryn wondered. She blinked and continued to watch. There it was again.

 

Janeway was sure she saw a large black bird fly over the horizon then another appeared then a few more. Soon the whole horizon was filled with a mass of some flying bird looking creatures. Janeway could not be sure of their actual size because she did not trust what she saw. This was an alien planet after all. The magnetism in the atmosphere could be playing with her mind and senses but she thought the "birds" were as big as a hawk or an eagle. As she contemplated this, the star ship captain saw the flock fly in formation then fly to a specific location nearby and dipped into a mass of water-looking substance, all at the same time. Kathryn estimated that there may be a few hundred of them in this particular flock. A few minutes later they reemerged from the "water." Janeway adjusted her binoculars to night vision as it had now grown fairly dark to rely on her human eyes and daytime vision of her instrument. She saw that they all had something gripped to their talons. The preys wiggled about helplessly attempting to free themselves without success. Then the flock flew out of range. "Interesting." Kathryn said to herself as she took off the binocular strap off her neck and walked back to the Delta Flyer. She briefly wondered what her friend was doing then smiled. For a moment Kathryn forgot about her "superpower," that she could hear Seven`s thoughts. She let her mind wander to happier places where she and Seven went to the stream together and she taught the young woman to swim. Kathryn imagined watching Seven`s soaked swim suit clinging to her curves and her erect nipples poking through the wet clothes invitingly. Janeway gasped at the thought unbecoming a starfleet captain. She walked towards the shuttle craft faster. Who knew what else lurked in the darkness on this alien planet?

 

Seven of Nine sat at the computer. She calculated and rechecked her results of different scenarios. The Borg woman was trying to find a way of penetrating the magnetic forces in the atmosphere so that their transceiver could carry a message to Voyager. The young woman tiredly rubbed the back of her neck and sat up. At least she had some good news. She had achieved something today. She had learned that the magnetism of this planet originated from deep within its mantle. A large chunk of the mantle was removed several million of years ago and now there was a gaping hole. The force of magnetism affected a large area above the planet, possibly all the way into its orbit. The magnetic force was so strong in the region where the Flyer flew over throwing all its instrument functioning into chaos and pulling them down. The bad news was that they may not be able to get the shuttle off the ground. There was so much work to do. They had to explore their surrounding to find out about the magnetic effects. Seven was sure that if they knew of their surrounding they will know what they were dealing with and then progress from there. "Where is Kathryn. It is getting dark." Seven wondered as she stood up from her desk and looked out of the tiny view port of the Flyer.

"Seven you wouldn`t believe what i have seen!" Janeway exclaimed excitedly as she walked into the shuttle`s small living area. She saw the young woman raise a sexy eye brow. Janeway paused then continued talking.

"I saw a flock of large black birds. I can`t be sure of their colour because it`s dark outside but they seemed like black birds to me. Then they flew west and dipped themselves into the water. I bet there`s a large river or a lake there. We should go investigate tomorrow. It may give us an idea of what we are dealing with." Janeway paused when she saw Seven watch her intently. The young woman had a small smile on her face.

"Then what else happened?" Seven asked in a soft dreamy voice. Janeway was not sure what to do so she just stood in front of her friend and stared back at her. Finally she snapped out of her stupor and smiled awkwardly at Seven.

"Well, er, yes. The birds reemerged from the river or lake with prey stuck to their talons. They looked like fish to me but i can`t be certain as it was...dark." Kathryn concluded. She had no idea why she was flushing and feeling awkward 

"Dark." Seven and Janeway said in unison. Kathryn looked at the young woman with feigned outrage. Then she started to laugh. "Seven, did you just make a joke?"

"Perhaps, it seemed an appropriate thing to do." The young woman said and laughed quietly in a small melodic laugh. Janeway was captivated by it.

"Kathryn, i have something to show you concerning the planet and the magnetic effect it has on our instruments." 

 

Janeway followed Seven to their shared cabin. The older woman was surprised that they were going to the sleeping area. She did not think much when Seven sat on her bunk and asked the captain to sit next to her. It only registered as strange when Seven turned sideways and grabbed the captain by the shoulders to make Janeway face her then kissed Kathryn long and slow. She felt Kathryn`s warm and inviting mouth part for her. Seven let her tongue slowly enter the older woman`s mouth to explore it. Soon she felt Kathryn reciprocate eagerly.

 

Kathryn followed the young woman to their shared cabin and sat on her bunk. Soon she felt Seven grab her shoulders and kiss her. The kiss was so sweet that her mouth opened out of its own volition to let the tongue she felt caressing her lower lip deliciously in. Soon their tongues caressed each other sensuously. Janeway wanted to stop all this tongue war but she could not. She wanted to chastise the young woman that this activity was unbecoming of starfleet officers and captains but it all came out as a moan.

"Seven, oh Seven. We... uh.. have to stop this instant..." Seven saw through her commanding officer`s reluctance to stop so the Borg woman decided to take advantage of the situation.

"We will stop in just...uh...a moment, Kathryn but now i must kiss...you." Seven said as she held the back of Kathryn`s neck with both arms and pulled the older woman closer to her, completely trapping Janeway. She kissed the older woman some more then finally let go. 

 

Kathryn felt the captain`s resolve dissolve as the passionate woman within her took charge. Janeway felt herself lowered to the mattress and a soft warm mass of her astrometrics officer settled on top of her reclining form.

"Kathryn, i must love you. I have tried for so long to avoid your beautiful body. I must touch you, now." Seven said urgently as she now kissed the older woman`s neck and nipped it. She sucked at the pulsating jugular vein and licked the area. 

 

Janeway could only moan at the assault on her senses. Her eyes slammed shut when she felt a hand caress the side of her left breast. The hand slowly inched towards her erect nipple which begged to be touched.

"Sev...uhh...touch me." Kathryn heard herself beg. Somehow through the assault of her senses the captain still wanted to fight against the passionate woman, Kathryn. Seven smiled triumphantly. She had Kathryn exactly where she wanted.

"Soon, Kathryn. Soon." The calm young woman said as she moved her hand to comply with the order.


	5. Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voyager makes a brief contact with the stranded women. Janeway makes contact with her astrometrics officer.

"Beep! Beep!" Seven`s comm badge whirred to life. Seven got off her commanding officer and rushed to the compartment in the shuttle`s cargo hold. Janeway, who was still in a bit of a daze, was slower to react. A few seconds later, however, her command training took control. She sat up and pulled her clothes down and followed Seven.

 

Static sounds were heard and then an intermittent beeping sounds which sounded like Tom Paris` telegram in his captain Proton holodeck program. Seven recognized it straightaway and held the comm badge in the palm of her hand and listened to the beeps intently as if she was translating the message while Janeway waited.

"Hello Captain, Seven. If you can hear me, press the comm badge. We are five light years from this planet. It has an unusual magnetism in its upper atmosphere which seems to affect ships flying over this whole region. We had to enhance the shield of the probe which made this communication possible, otherwise whatever goes down on this planet does not come up. We are still working on enhancing the ship`s shield so we can come down and investigate. Do you have food and water? Please press the comm badge now..." After Seven had finished translating the message to the captain she patiently looked at Janeway. Finally the captain pushed the little triangular device in Seven`s hand.

"This is captain Janeway. It`s good to hear your voice, Commander. We are alright. Thanks for not giving up on us. We have come to the same conclusion that this planet`s atmosphere was responsible for our crash. Seven has found out a disturbing fact that a large chunk of the mantle is exposed hence releasing magnetic force far into the atmosphere and in the orbit around this planet..." The communication was abruptly terminated. Janeway looked at the small device in Seven`s hand and sighed. At least she knew that her people were safe and sound, for now.

 

The two way communication was slow it reminded Kathryn of the ancient walkie talkie she learned in Starship communications class 101 back in the academy. The captain looked down at her crumpled blouse with a few buttons missing. She pursed her lips when she thought of what brought on the unkempt look. She is the captain and should be able to control the situation. On the other hand Janeway thought of the pleasant sensations she felt when her touch starved body was lovingly assaulted by her friend. She came to the conclusion that she would proceed as previously agreed with herself, that if Seven wished to escalate their relationship, she was going to indulge the young woman. For now, she was going to keep away from Seven. "For what reason?" She heard her little voice ask. "I just want to be alone, ok?" Janeway snapped at herself.

 

Seven, who was silently observing Janeway`s reaction had heard Kathryn`s thoughts and doubts but she was glad that Kathryn was agreeable with the idea of escalating their relationship. The young woman noted Kathryn`s body language which seemed to be distancing herself from the young woman. So Seven decided to give the older woman some space to think things through. Seven went outside to the transceiver. It was still night time so she adjusted her vision accordingly. The young woman briefly stood by the transceiver pole to inspect it then went back inside. 

 

Seven returned to find the living space empty. She proceeded to the sleeping area where she found Janeway was now wearing a pair of blue pajamas and calmly lying on her bunk and reading from a padd. Seven wanted to find out what Kathryn was reading but she felt that was intruding. So she proceeded to the bathroom to prepare for bed. When she returned she found the captain had buried herself under the covers. Seven`s heart sank. She wondered whether Kathryn had changed her mind about current developments. She sighed and got up to her bunk and lay on her back facing the bulkhead. 

 

An awkward silence passed between the two Voyager crew members then Seven heard Janeway clear her throat.

"Seven? Are you awake?"

"Yes, captain." Seven had reverted to calling her `captain` as she was unsure of the older woman`s stand regarding their embrace. Initially she was excited about the positive thought from Kathryn but now she was not so sure.

"Oh, please call me Kathryn when we are alone. You lay on top of me once, remember?" Janeway made an attempt at lightening the mood. Seven remained silent. She was unsure of how she should react so she waited for Janeway to say more.

"Uh, about earlier. I still want us to be close in a sort of intimate manner but i am scared." Janeway decided to tell her friend the truth. "For many years i have been the captain, holding back my emotions, needs and wants. It`s now very difficult for me to just let go of my self control..." She sighed and let out a humourless laugh. "I feel like a client laying on a psychiatrist`s couch right now." This time she genuinely laughed at her own joke. Seven joined in with a quiet melodic laugh which was not lost to Kathryn. The awkward silence was now replaced with something different. Hope.

 

Seven of Nine leaned at the edge of her bed to look down at Kathryn. Janeway was lying on her back with her fingers crossed on her abdomen. The young woman`s eyes met the other woman`s then Seven smiled down at Janeway and her smile was returned.

"Kathryn, can i help you reacquaint yourself with your long locked emotions?" Janeway thought about that for a minute. Was that Borg Speak for `May i touch you?` Kathryn started to laugh and sat up. She reached her hand towards Seven`s bunk and found the young woman`s hand which she pulled.

 

The ex drone saw Kathryn`s hand reach up to her. So she let hers down so that Janeway could hold it. Seven sat up and got down from her bed to join Kathryn on her bed. The women simply held each others` hands and enjoyed the comfortable silence which was now between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a short chapter which talks a bit about Janeway`s struggle to let go of the captain part of her, to just be Kathryn.
> 
> Comments are welcome and thank you for the kudos. You all are awesome :)


	6. Comparison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kathryn Janeway compares her past intimacies and appreciates the multilayered relationship she shared with her friend.

The two stranded Voyager officers sat quietly next to each other in a comfortable silence. Janeway was contented with the activity. She let her right hand slowly caress her friend`s left hand implant. She massaged each meshed digit then turned the hand to expose the palm. Kathryn examined the meshed palm with keen interest. She turned the hand so that the palm was facing down then started to draw circles on the back of the hand. Silver tendrils gently shot out from the knuckles and seemed to wander aimlessly around. Kathryn continued to lightly draw circles and rub it lightly. Finally the tendrils circled the captain`s hand. Kathryn was not afraid, just curious. She looked up at her astrometrics officer and friend and smiled at her. She noted that the massage caused the tendrils to pop out of their hiding place to gently wrap themselves around Kathryn` wrists. When the older woman ceased the massage the tendrils retracted back into the knuckles and out of sight. 

"Fascinating." Janeway said then she brought the hand up to her lips and kissed each finger lovingly then placed the implant back into Seven`s lap and covered it with her own hand.

 

The young woman watched intently as her friend examined her hand implant. Seven was a bit apprehensive with this action at first. She was Borg, after all, and anyone taking an interest in her Borg parts made her uncomfortable because of what the hand stood for. It reminded Seven of what she was and what she did with this very hand implant. Assimilation of species for the Collective`s selfish goals. Killing innocent individuals just because they did not share the Borg Collective`s ideals. Undoing entire civilizations at a whim just because she was Borg. The young woman considered pulling her hand away from Kathryn but the pleasant sensations which shot through the silver-like tendrils of the fingers to travel to all parts of her body brought extreme pleasurable sensations to the younger woman. No, she will not stop Kathryn from what she was doing.

 

Seven saw Kathryn gently kiss each of her fingers and placed the hand back on Seven`s palm. The young woman was not that much experienced in human matters of the heart but she was intuitive enough to know that what Janeway did was a very intimate thing and the most romantic thing she had ever seen Janeway do. She was sure that Kathryn would not want any crew member to see this side of her. The young woman smiled at the captain`s rare display of, was it affection? Love? Curiosity? Seven was not sure yet but when she saw Kathryn smile softly back at her with an adorable crooked smile that always caused the young ex Borg`s heart to beat faster, and the shining blue gray eyes, the younger woman saw love for what it was. There was not a shred of doubt in her heart that Janeway loved her. She was neither afraid of Seven`s assimilation tubules nor was she repulsed by the hand implant. Seven sighed and smiled some more. A million mega watt genuine smile that reached her eyes causing them to sparkle as blue as Earth`s sky on a fine summer`s day. 

"So, the tubules would have assimilated me?" Kathryn asked with great interest while massaging the knuckles where the tubules had just disappeared into. The women continued to sit side by side on Kathryn`s bunk.

"No, assimilation is a voluntary action. Even though a drone has no free will to control what it wants and does, it has some degree of control over its personal implants. Drones can control their implants to do whatever they want. If a drone receives instructions from the Collective to assimilate then the drone voluntarily does this action. If it chooses to caress someone instead then a mere thought of the caressing action will cause the implant to do that particular action. This is a very small degree of `free will,` where a drone can control its own body`s action. However, the Queen always has the final say. She can stop the drone`s action with a simple thought sent to that particular drone`s neural transceiver." Seven said in a quiet tone while looking deeply into Kathryn`s eyes. Janeway nodded in understanding. 

 

The women, still sitting side by side on Kathryn`s bunk bed, were now sitting at a forty five degree angle so they could see into each others` eyes. Their knees gently touched. Kathryn could feel the heat emanating from her friend`s body seeping through her every pore. It created a bond of sorts between them. Janeway has had lovers before. Her ex fiance, Mark, was a traditional and pleasant man to be with. He made her laugh and was satisfactory in bed when it came to sex. However, most of the time Janeway felt like their sex was either rushed, lacked variety and always seemed to be centred on him. Mark would excite her until she was begging him for more. Then he would make her climax then penetrate her. As soon as he was done he would leave her to `fend for herself` while he fell to her side, exhausted leaving the still horny Kathryn to fend for herself. This routine went on until Kathryn was given the order to command Voyager to go to the Badlands to capture the Maquis rebel leader, Chakotay. 

 

Sitting here, with a woman, Kathryn felt like she was making love to Seven of Nine with her eyes and hands. There was a connection between them that went beyond the physical, a spiritual and sexual bond. The older woman wondered whether human female sexuality was as complex as she felt right then or was it because she was somehow forced into the situation she was in at that moment? Her mind was taken back to her academy days, to when she got involved with her academy Betazoid roommate. The friends had decided to have a drink in their quarters following a particularly gruesome week at Starfleet academy. Tanan Reli, Kathryn`s roommate at the time, was a sensous woman who found her human roommate quite fascinating. She was attracted to Janeway while Kathryn had no clue of what was going on around her. Kathryn often mistook Tanan`s affections for gratitude or merely friendly. One particular weekend the young women, Kathryn and Tanan, decided to spend the whole weekend indoors. They organized food and alcohol to last them the weekend and started their time off. Kathryn was not exactly a teetotaler but she liked to stay away from strong alcoholic beverages. This time, however, she decided to indulge herself, to the joy of her roommate. Janeway had drank two shots of the forbidden Romulan ale which Tanan had acquired through illegal academy channels. She felt lightheaded and bold enough to encourage her Betazoid friend to come and sit on the couch next to her. There was nothing unusual about this as the women often sat together and even wrestled each other without touching inappropriately. This time things were different when Tanan saw Kathryn taking her tee shirt off claiming that she felt warm. The Betazoid woman knew it was the alcohol taking effect on Janeway`s systems. Tanan herself did not drink the ale. She only had a steaming cup of raktajino, a Klingon coffee. Within minutes the women were groping each other young Janeway ending up being pleasured by her beautiful sensuous Betazoid roommate. Captain Janeway remembered the awkwardness following the activity but luckily they were able to talk things through and life in their shared quarters went back to almost normal. Deep down young Kathryn knew that she had a `thing` for women but she was able to curb her curiosity of exploring the `thing` further...until now.

 

Kathryn looked into the deep blue pools looking at her. She willingly allowed herself to be immersed in them and felt the world around her dissolve into one full of senses. The next moment she felt a warm body press to her side deliciously. She thought that she could bask in these sensations forever. Seven slowly inched closer giving chance for the older woman to make up her mind. Janeway did not move away. She was trapped in the blue spell which was now a blur due to proximity. 

 

Kathryn Janeway felt herself lowered onto her bed while Seven straddled her just like she did a few days before. She started to kiss Kathryn. She felt Janeway return the kisses eagerly then they slowed down. The women were both breathing deeply. Seven finally gave her friend a final chaste peck on the cheek and extricated herself from the warm body to go to her own bunk.

"Thank you, Kathryn." The young woman said from her bed above Kathryn`s.

"For what?" Kathryn replied from her own bed.

"For accepting me the way i am, for letting me kiss you."

"You are most welcome, my friend. I also love you. That is the reason why i let you do all those things." Kathryn said softly.

"You...love me, Kathryn?"

"Yes, i do." Janeway replied simply.

"Kathryn, i believe i...love you as well. I have always done so for a very long time now." The young woman said softly but Kathryn could detect gratitude in the tone which probably only she could detect the nuances of Seven`s voice.

"You are welcome."

 

Soon the women were lying in their own beds but the bond between them had grown stronger than before. For now they both seemed to want to take their time and not rush things. Janeway knew that it was only a matter of time before the anticipation to be physically intimate with the young woman will either kill her or cause her to explode, whichever happened first. She smiled to herself, fluffed her pillow and lay on her side. Soon she was fast asleep knowing that she was beginning to fall in love with the special young Borg woman.


	7. The Queen of the Magpies finds love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janeway reprises the role of rescuing and healing baby animals as she did when she was a little girl. She then reconciles with herself to be happy with her friend.

The following morning Janeway woke up first, which was unusual. She stood up from her bed and took sometime to stretch up. Then her eyes turned towards her slumbering roommate on the top bunk. Seven looked very beautiful, young and peaceful. The icy demeanor which she puts on during the day among the crew on Voyager was absent. It reminded Kathryn of her own command mask which she wears like some sort of armour. Janeway almost laughed at that. She inched closer to the sleeping form to study the relaxed facial features. Janeway has done this many times before on her ship. Initially she tracked Seven`s whereabouts using the computer. Later she had memorized the young woman`s schedule, completely unaware that Seven did the same. It was then that Kathryn Janeway realized the similarities between herself and Seven. Were they destined to be together? Definitely. Janeway stretched her hand to lightly touch the ocular implant above Seven`s left eye knowing very well that the action may cause the slumbering woman to rouse but she had to touch the other woman. Seven did not rouse.

 

Kathryn went to the cargo hold, rummaged through a cargo container and found a disruptor rifle, a pair of binoculars, a medkit, and a phaser. She strapped the gun to her shoulder and clipped the phaser to the waist of the blue jeans she wore and walked out of the shuttle. She took a moment to look at her surroundings. Janeway had a feeling that they may have had a visitor or visitors the previous night. It was just an intuition which she knew Seven would not believe so she just had to find evidence and show the young woman. She followed something on the ground which resembled footsteps. They took her to the general direction of the stream nearby and disappeared in the soft short grass. Kathryn had to come back to this task later. For now she had to check on the transceiver. It was undisturbed. Kathryn knew that her crew was working hard on finding a way to penetrate the atmosphere. There was little she could do from the surface except to keep the transceiver functioning, stay alive and locate the probe Voyager sent a few days previously. 

 

As Kathryn retraced the footstep on the ground she started to describe them. They vaguely looked like a large bird`s perhaps a hawk or an eagle. There were four distinct talons and a padding between them seemed to be quite large and distinct. Kathryn`s scientific mind wondered whether a bird that large could actually fly but from what she briefly saw a few evenings ago made her believe that on this world anything different from her own planet was possible. She stopped analyzing the foot print and continued to follow another. This particular one led her to the stream close to her camping site. Janeway was a little afraid but also curious of what she may find. Her curiosity was more dominant than the fear which caused her to press on until she reached the stream where she found many footprints and lots of large black, grey and white bird like creatures swimming and grooming in the stream. They made a birdlike sound, a sort of melodic chirping. It was hypnotic.

 

The woman took out her tricorder and waved it over the flock then she noted one of them lying on the bank, hurt. It was smaller than the others, about six surrounding the fallen bird. A youngling, perhaps? Kathryn did not know. She cautiously approached the small flock and raised both hands up to show that she came in peace despite the obvious disruptor and phaser she carried. The birds, as if understanding her, dispersed but they were still within reach, about three metres away from Kathryn and the injured young. Janeway took off the medkit off her shoulders and lay it on the ground. She crouched down next to the injured creature, fished out a medical tricorder and set to work. The bird had a broken leg, a broken wing and a hole to its side which seemed to have been caused by an arrow maybe? This was very interesting. It may indicate that somewhere on this planet was intelligent life, humanoids who hunted and gathered, perhaps. Kathryn used a bone knitter on the broken bones and then sealed the wound with a dermal regenerator. She spoke quietly to the bird as she worked. It was obvious the creature did not understand her but she talked to it anyway. With the task complete, she stood back to examine her work and crouched down next to the creature again.

"Fly, little one. Fly." Kathryn said to her patient. She helped the bird get on its feet and it stood and stretched out its wings. A few moments later it took off the ground and flew away. Kathryn stood up and watched proudly as her patient flew around her as if to show off how well it was. The little chirpy sounds the healed bird made was obviously sounds of gratitude. She set her tricorder to record what she had done. It was interesting that the small gadget translated the bird sounds with sub titles. Janeway will have to look at it later. When she stood up again she was surprised to see the whole flock, probably hundreds of them, had surrounded the strange pale skinned, featherless kind humanoid who saved one of their kind. She was amused at the little dance they put on for her. Soon the ones who were grooming and catching prey in the stream had joined their friends. They brought smooth stones from the stream, shiny plastic like objects, fish, crabs and other marine creatures Kathryn did not recognize. She was going to need a bigger bag to carry all her presents, she mused.

"Thank you all, but now i must return home to get a container to carry these presents." She spoke, not expecting an answer from the birds. Then she heard it. The tricorder chirped and when Janeway looked at the small screen, the distinct chirp made by a nearby larger black bird was translated into "You`re welcome." Janeway smiled and walked away from the creatures. As she walked the birds parted for her. Janeway thought that this was one interesting episode in her life if not weird that she could talk to alien birds. 

 

Seven of Nine opened her eyes disappointed that her lovely dream was over. She dreamed that she discreetly followed Kathryn to the stream. She saw Kathryn sitting by the stream nursing an injured alien baby bird while other birds watched. Then the birds entertained her, talked to her and brought gifts to the Queen of the Magpies. Seven had never seen a real magpie before so that was a lovely if not amusing dream. She sat up in bed and stretched her arms above her head until a popping sound was heard. The young woman wondered where her roommate had gone so she decided to look for Kathryn, just to be sure she was alright. She jumped off the bed and went to the small bathroom to change. She emerged wearing a blue sleeveless blouse with numerous tiny white buttons from her chest all the way down to the waist line and a pair of tight black jeans. She walked out of the shuttle and looked around. There was no sign of Kathryn anywhere. So the woman decided to go to the stream after she saw footprints on the ground.

"Corvidae" Seven said to herself then a moment later "Where is Kathryn?" She tried to sense the older woman`s thoughts in case it would help her locate where she was. For a moment there was white noise then she heard Kathryn thank the Corvidae and called one of them `Little Mollie.`The ex drone walked faster towards the valley and in the soft green grass leading to the stream bank. The area ended with a large open space full of rocks of all sizes and a clear stream she saw a few days before meandered lazily due west from her location. She looked further ahead and spotted Kathryn. She was surrounded by a large flock of giant black, white and grey birds. They chirped, cackled and did a lot of display with their wings, legs and necks. Their movements were not exactly coordinated but Seven could clearly see that the creatures acted in an instinctively similar fashion. She took a tricorder from her jeans pocket and took a recording of the events before her while the tricorder scanned Kathryn for injuries remotely. Seven had modified this particular tricorder to perform additional functions. 

"Kathryn, i was looking for you. Are you alright?" Janeway was startled. She turned around sharply to see Seven standing a few metres away from the flock and herself. So Janeway decided to introduce the birds to Seven.

"Little Mollie, that is my friend, Seven of Nine. Our shuttle crash landed on your planet nearly two weeks ago and we have been trying to get off your world ever since, without success. Can you help us?" She was not expecting any replies, of course, but it could not hurt to be polite. Seven had a small smile on her face as she watched her captain interacting with the creatures.

"I must go home with Kathryn, now. We need to discuss something. We will come back later." Seven followed Kathryn`s way by talking to the birds even if the young woman thought it was a ridiculous thing to do. The birds cackled, chirped and danced excitedly and finally parted to let the women pass. Seven snorted when she looked at the the tricorder screen to note the translation of the chirping as "Thank you, Queen of the Magpies." This was puzzling since these birds were clearly not magpies at all. Perhaps the tricorder translated according to the closest thing it could use to make it familiar to the reader.

 

The captain and her astrometrics officer walked away from the flock and returned to camp. Back in the Delta Flyer there was a message waiting for them on the computer. Kathryn opened it to find that it was commander Chakotay from her ship.

"Hello Captain, Seven. We are sorry to take this long to rescue you. I believe you are well. Please hang in there. We are coming to get you. Thank you for the transceiver you set up. Without it this communication would not have been possible. The Engineering team have been working day and night to enhance Voyager`s shielding so we can penetrate the magnetic atmosphere. It turns out that reversing the polarity of the external hull may do the trick plus other enhancements. It seems that you were unable to locate the probe we sent a few days ago. We will try and locate it then beam it near your location. We have put in additional supplies you may need. Please respond as soon as you can or the crew will have my head on a platter. Chakotay out." The smiling face of Voyager`s first officer faded.

 

Janeway and Seven smiled as they watched Chakotay`s video recording. There was hope for a rescue soon. Kathryn wished they could help from the planet surface but there was not much they could do. 

"We need to do something from our end. I know Chakotay says that the transceiver enables communication but can we boost it any further, Seven?" The ex drone thought for a moment, searching what she knew about transceivers and enhancements and modification which could be made to them. Finally the young woman looked down at the captain who was patiently waiting for her.

"Captain, there is a way to enhance the transceiver." Seven said then she said nothing further.

"Go on..." Janeway encouraged.

"It involves linking of minds, like a mind meld with a piece of technology."

"How do we do that? What are the risks involved?" Janeway wanted to communicate with her ship but she did not think about the extreme method Seven was trying to explain.

"We can use electrodes and attach them to my skull. The other ends of the same electrodes can be attached to the transceiver. Whatever i say or think will be transmitted to Voyager`s computer. The only downside will be lack of privacy. Everyone on Voyager will be able to see my thoughts and every shared thoughts we may have had for the last couple of weeks we have been here...and all my other personal thoughts of you, captain." Seven said the last bit softly as if she was thinking aloud.

"I...see." Janeway pursed her lips at the thought of everybody seeing Seven`s thoughts on screens and hers if she decided to hook herself to the transceiver. She finally decided to not proceed with the idea.

"No, that is not an option i am willing to explore. Your thoughts are private and your very own. Nobody is allowed to see or hear them except for those you give consent to." Seven looked at her captain and friend and saw a warm smile on her face. The smile was returned. They stood facing each other for a while until Kathryn cleared her throat and went to the small kitchen.

"I don`t know about you but i feel like having bacon and eggs today." Seven smiled and followed her friend.

"I would like to consume this rich breakfast as well, Kathryn." Seven said as she brought out pots, pans and everything she needed from the compartments below the small sink. Janeway made their drinks, coffee for herself and tea for Seven. As the women went past each other Seven suddenly pulled the other woman in a tight embrace. Kathryn`s arms automatically went up to Seven`s neck while Seven held Kathryn`s waist and pulled her closer to her. Kathryn could feel Seven`s warm breasts crushed to her own and she decided that this was the best place she had ever been. The warmth was comforting and Seven`s scent, vanilla and a faint tinge of metal, was intoxicating. Kathryn raised her head up only to notice that Seven had a similar thought.

"I love you Kathryn Janeway. May i kiss you?" The young woman said.

"Only if i kiss you back, my Seven."

 

Kathryn raised her head up only to notice that her companion had lowered hers. Their lips touched in the sweetest and softest of kisses. Shy smiles were exchanged then Kathryn took the lead. She gently nibbled the other woman`s lower lip. Seven opened her mouth to say something while Janeway took advantage of the situation to kiss Seven. Soon tongues were exchanged. 

 

Sighs and ruffling sounds were the only sounds heard in the kitchen and possibly on the entire planet as two women connected in the most basic, intimate and loving way. Finally they came up for air. Their foreheads touched as shy smiles were exchanged. A thin line of silvery saliva stretched between their mouths, the only evidence of their intimate connection. 

 

Kathryn extricated herself from the loving embrace to get their drinks ready while Seven silently followed and prepared the bacon and eggs. No words were shared between them as they were both absorbed in their thoughts of what just occurred. The atmosphere around them was of contentment. Kathryn took the drinks to the living area. 

"Are you coming, Seven?" She called out.

"Yes, Kathryn." The still dazed Seven said and picked up the tray full of food and followed Janeway to the living area.

 

Breakfast in the shuttle was a sensual affair. Kathryn cut up a piece of bacon and speared it with a fork Then she led the fork towards Seven`s mouth where the Borg woman eagerly took it. Janeway liked the game so she repeated the action. This time the young woman held the hand feeding her. She kissed the fingers and sucked Kathryn`s index finger into her mouth. The older woman did not expect the sensations that went through her body at that moment. The warm wet mouth caused a jolt of desire, thick and strong to shoot out from the finger embedded in the mouth to travel to her nipples and all the way down south. Kathryn could feel pulsations from deep within her engorged folds between her legs. Moisture pooled from within to settle between her legs. She took a deep breath in. Seven seemed to have realized the effect the sucking motion had on her friend. She waned to see how far Kathryn would go before she crumbled.

"Seven." A quiet moan emanated from the captain`s mouth from across the table. "We need to finish breakfast." Finally the young woman released Kathryn`s finger from her mouth but the "damage" had already been done. Kathryn was no longer hungry. Well, she was still hungry but for an entirely different kind of sustenance.

 

Seven released the finger with a pop and smiled seductively. Then she started to eat her breakfast as if nothing had happened. Janeway on the other hand was having difficulties processing things. She cut up a piece of bacon, brought the morsel to her lips and forced her sexually charged body to chew on the food. Seven cleared the table while Janeway went to the bathroom where she had a shower then she headed straight to bed. Seven returned from the kitchen and headed to the bathroom. She went and sat on the computer to transfer the information she had from their interaction of animal life on the planet with the shuttle`s computer. As soon as she finished she headed to the sleeping area where she found Kathryn lying on her back in bed, reading a padd.

"Kathryn, what are you doing in bed? It is only 10:00 hours." Seven raised a sexy eye brow at her friend. She knew exactly what effect she had on the older woman because she too felt it. Janeway looked at the other woman with feigned outrage.

"Yeah, it`s not everyday when i get thrown off balance by a beautiful and sexy woman. I`d feel better if my immediate needs were met, then my day will begin." She raised an eye brow in challenge. Seven did not expect to hear Kathryn speak that way. She was flirting with her. She decided that she liked this flirting game.

"We do not have all day, Kathryn. Would you rather waste daylight in bed and work at night? Or are you going to work all day and rest at night?" Janeway placed the padd she was reading on her chest. Seven could clearly see the outline of an erect nipple under Kathryn`s tee shirt. `No bra.` Seven thought. The moment she thought about the bra situation Kathryn looked at her sharply then she smiled knowingly causing Seven to blush. Kathryn had heard her thought.

"It all depends on how you look at it, doesn`t it." Kathryn went into lecturing mode. " The phrases `working all day` or `resting at night`are open to different interpretations. You choose what they mean to you. I don`t mind when i work. All what matters is that my immediate needs be met then i will think rationally again. Otherwise i can`t captain a star ship in my current state."

"What is your current condition and state and what can i do to change it?" Seven asked quietly as she sat at the edge of Kathryn`s bed. She looked at the woman intently, waiting for a reply but none came. So Seven focused on her thoughts. What she discovered was a bit disappointing but she was determined to change things. Kathryn`s thoughts were in turmoil. She was fighting with herself. Again. Her captain self kept creeping to her conscious mind to stop her from having a bit of fun. The woman side of Kathryn was pleading for her freedom. These fights always exhausted Janeway whenever they crept up on her. It was almost as the fail safe the Borg placed in their drones to prevent them from experiencing extreme emotions. Kathryn and herself have so much in common, Seven was beginning to understand the burden her friend carried everyday but she was determined to help the woman relax and maybe release her pent up energies.

"Kathryn, i am here for you. How can i assist you? How can you assist me? I need you. You must make love to me. You owe me that much." Seven dared say. She knew it did not sound very romantic but she did not know what else to say.

"Alright, come and lie next to me. I need to feel your body next to mine."

 

So the two women arranged their positions in a comfortable way as the bunks were only meant for one individual. Soon the two women were kissing again. This time there was nothing to stop them. No breakfast preparations or command of a star ship. There were only two women in a shuttle craft with time on their hands. 

 

As they came up for air Janeway felt restricted in her clothes. She pulled the tee shirt over her head and sat topless. Seven gazed longingly at the slightly sagging rounded masses with dusky peaks. They were much smaller than hers but so very pleasant to gaze upon. Kathryn felt Seven`s eyes on her chest. It felt like a caress causing the peaks to harden even more. Seven was fascinated and drawn to them.

"May i touch them, please?" Seven asked but she had already placed her hands possessively on Kathryn`s breast. She gently pinched the hardened nipples causing Kathryn to moan and arch her back towards the fingers that manipulated them.

"Consent, Seven? I already gave you consent when you..." Her words were cut short when she was forced on the bed. Kathryn found herself lying flat on her back with Seven straddling her thighs. The young woman reached down and kissed Kathryn hotly on the mouth. She let both hands play with the nipples.

"When i...uhh...said that i gave you consent i didn`t know you really meant it...uuuhhh!" That was in response to Seven`s hot wet mouth greedily sucking on Kathryn`s sensitive nipple while her hand twisted and pulled her other nipple. Janeway could feel moisture seeping between her folds between her legs. Her hips started to move up in an unconscious attempt at reaching for contact.

"What does my Kathryn require?" Seven asked softly. She was now unbuttoning her lover`s jeans and pulled them off her legs along with her panties. Now Kathryn was completely naked while she was fully dressed.

 

Janeway`s sexually charged body was very sensitive. Seven`s clothes on her bare skin caused all sorts of sensations she could barely begin to describe but she knew one thing; that she wanted Seven to make love to her and not gently.

"Seven, please touch me more." She heard herself beg.

"Is it an order, Kathryn?"

"No, i am not your captain. Just...do it." Seven smiled and moved in position to comply with the request. She has never seen Kathryn naked before and lying underneath her. She knew the strong willed captain had never let any of her crew see her this vulnerable or naked for that matter. It was an honour for Seven to see this side of the older woman, to share this intimacy which was also a spiritual encounter to the young ex drone.

"Very well, Kathryn." Seven moved between Janeway`s legs to part them as far as they would go. She then reached both hands and lifted Kathryn`s waist with both hands then she placed two pillows underneath. She could see the engorged glistening sex of her lover. The scent was intoxicating and Seven could not get enough of it. The young woman briefly looked up to find Kathryn had her eyes shut while her hands fondled with her own nipples much harder than her lover would probably have done.

"Ohh, ohhh" Kathryn cried out in response to the blonde hair caressing her thighs as her lover took a swipe at her engorged outer labia. The feeling was heavenly. She then felt Seven`s tongue or was it a finger? It penetrated her vagina. Her inner muscles involuntarily clamped on the intruding finger. Seven removed the finger and replaced it with her tongue. She pushed the strong muscle in and out gently for a while then released it. She felt fluid gently released from within and she lapped it up.

"Mmm, Kathryn, your taste is perfection. I would love to suck up all you have to offer." Seven said and changed direction. She wanted to explore the woman that was Kathryn Janeway and now her lover. 

"Seven, please. My clit. Touch me." Seven felt the urgency in Kathryn`s voice. She looked up to see the corded veins on her lover`s neck as she strained in her her lust. Seven reached back between Kathryn`s legs and found the erect clitoris. She licked the base then gently sucked on the muscle a few times. Kathryn`s moans grew louder and more urgent. Seven sucked on the clit a few more times until she felt Kathryn`s body go rigid then involuntarily spasm for a few seconds. Soon Kathryn lay sprawled on the bed. Her breathing was ragged and her eyes were still shut. She weakly reached one hand down to pat Seven`s head which was resting on her thigh. 

 

Soon the young woman reached up to kiss her lover hotly on the mouth where Kathryn could taste her own juices. The women lay side by side, one naked the other still fully dressed. After a few moments Kathryn sat up and looked at her lover.

"You are fully dressed, crew man. I wouldn`t do for this exercise. Take them off." Janeway said in full command tone. Seven shivered at the order spoken with such authority even if the one who delivered the order was in the nude. The young woman felt her nipples harden in excitement and anticipation.

 

So the women spent a good part of the day exploring each others` humanity. Late afternoon they decided to go for a walk. Kathryn wished she had not suggested the walk as she discovered that she ached in muscles she did not even know she had. 

"Kathryn, are you coming?" Seven said when she saw her companion slow down a bit.

"Oww." Janeway said and sat on a large rock along a grassy path they had created. Seven walked back to her and knelt beside her. She looked into her eyes searchingly. "Are you damaged, Kathryn?"

"I`ll be alright." Janeway replied. Seven note that her friend had not answered her question. So she decided to use a different tactic.

"I ache in places i did not know i had, Kathryn. You must have worn me more than i thought."

"Me too. My...i mean i ache way on the inside but it will soon pass." Janeway said reassuringly and they both laughed at their enthusiastic lovemaking sessions. "If we do it all over again the muscles will get used to the activities but i don`t think carrots are a good idea, Seven." Janeway said amidst laughter.

"I disagree, Kathryn. I ate a perfectly warm semi cooked vegetable straight from your vagina." Seven said dryly.

"Hey, i`m a captain, not a crock pot." Seven laughed, a genuine proper laugh which was infectious because soon Janeway joined in and stood up to start walking again.

"Let`s go back, Love."

 

So the two lovers walked hand in hand towards their shuttle to await a message from their star ship.


	8. Tha`re

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janeway and Seven discover that they have more in common with the weird magnetic planet than they ever would have imagined. 
> 
> Seven has a moment of self doubt.
> 
> Of personal hygiene and more.

"Are you alright, Kathryn?" Seven said seriously as she watched her lover walk with a limp and get into the shuttle and headed straight to bed where she lay face down. Seven realized that she had been more forceful and perhaps too enthusiastic in her lovemaking to Kathryn to remember that the older woman did not possess an enhanced skeletal structure as hers. Seven was riddled with guilt. She took a hot water bottle, a medkit, a stasis flask of black coffee and an analgesic hypo spray and went to sit at Kathryn`s bed side, then hesitated. She did not know what to say to the woman who has given her so much of everything, including her own body. Kathryn Janeway was more than a friend or a lover. She was her soul mate. Their bond was spiritual. She could feel it deep within herself. Now she has caused her soul mate great discomfort, she has damaged her. What should she do? Sure she would administer the analgesic hypo spray and offer the water bottle treatment but what if she had damaged the woman beyond repair? Does Kathryn still want to be with her? Does Kathryn even want her, a Borg drone? Perhaps Janeway was only lonely and had wanted a distraction and the young woman happened to be around, just like the occasional dalliances the captain had with aliens. Kashyk came to mind. Kashyk was not a distraction though but that was a story for another time. Seven scrunched her face in disgust and psychological discomfort. 

 

The young woman must have sat there for a good few minutes but in reality it had just been a few seconds. Seven placed the items she brought on the bed and stretched her human hand to carefully touch Kathryn on the shoulder. She would not touch the captain with her left hand Borg implant. She did not want to damage the precious woman further.

"Kathryn, i am so very sorry for damaging you." Her words came out in a whisper and were chocked with guilt and sorrow. "If you do not wish to...continue with our affair in the future i will understand." She said but deep down she knew that she would not be able to withstand Kathryn`s rejection, to stand being on the same ship without being close to Kathryn after tasting `perfection.` Seven sighed and continued her brave but guilt-ridden little speech. "These times i have spent with you here on this planet were the most fulfilling i have ever experienced in my whole life. You are the perfection i have always been seeking. If you do decide that a relationship is not what you seek with me then at least know that i will hold you with high regard, you will always be my captain and friend." Seven finished talking and sighed.

"I have brought you an analgesic hypo spray and a hot water bottle. I also brought you coffee. Shall i give you the hypo spray now?" She waited. Finally Kathryn groaned and turned herself so that she was facing the troubled young woman. Janeway heard every word Seven said, the self doubt, despair but also the love beyond the physical. She felt it too. She was also a bit amused when Seven thought that she had `damaged` her. Clearly the young woman had so much to learn about humanity. She also had so much to learn about Starfleet captains, that they do not easily get damaged. She will just have to let Seven finish her self guilt ridden speech then she would intervene.

"Ah, thank you, Darling. May i have the coffee first please? OWW!" Janeway sat up and realized that was not a wise course of action. A shooting pain went from deep within her womanhood and radiated to her left leg.

"I must lie down. I`m obviously still tender from our business from earlier." Janeway attempted to make a joke to lighten the sombre expression on Seven`s face. 

"Even when you are in pain you still think of others. Kathryn, you are too good to me. Let me help you in any way i can."

"I`m fine, Seven. Just give me the coffee and all will be well again." Kathryn said reassuringly. That was when Seven decided to be forceful with her actions. The stubborn and proud woman needed an equally stubborn and proud partner at her side if the captain was to function at peak efficiency.

"No, Kathryn. You are not `fine.` Let me examine you or at least let me scan you with a medical tricorder." Seven suggested reasonably. Then she poured her lover a cup of coffee and fished out the tricorder from the medkit. She scanned the other woman as she fished for the vast information she had stored in her cortical node for clues and solutions. The tricorder beeped. Seven checked the small screen and the accompanying information offered while Kathryn continued to sip on her coffee seemingly unconcerned with what was going on around her. Seven took a sideways glance at her friend and shook her head in disbelief. Janeway was stubborn. Can the young woman match it? Seven believed she could try. 

 

Seven of Nine read the medical tricorder screen: There is a small morsel of blunt object, possibly an organic edible bio matter in the vagina. It is about one and a half centimetres in diameter. Recommended course of action includes manual or digital removal with a pair of forceps or gloved fingers. Alternative method of removal includes excitation causing natural lubrication which will remove the foreign body easily. After care: Analgesic and clear water. Duration of recovery: A few hours. Poor Kathryn. `That is a large object to be stuck inside her,` Seven thought. She bit her lower lip at that. She was confused as to what to do. How does she explain the findings to the stubborn captain? Finally the young woman had an idea. She would let the tricorder read the findings and recommended course of actions to Kathryn. `If Janeway decided to smash the offending gadget against the bulk head, well, at least Seven would be safe. Self preservation was always a very wise course of action` Seven smiled at her wisdom. 

 

Kathryn quietly listened to the medical tricorder`s findings. She did not throw it away or smash it into anything. She started to laugh. In her mirth she changed the position she was lying from leaning back against the bulk head supported by pillows to lying on one side. "Oww." The shooting pain was back. Clearly she had something in there and it was pressing on her nerve or nerves. "Oh, dear. It is that bad, isn`t it?" She finally admitted amidst laughter and agony. Seven found herself shaking her head unbelievably.

 

"OK, Darling, fix me up." Seven was overjoyed to hear the simple consent. She quickly set in action by helping Kathryn lie on her back and in a few short minutes the offending foreign body was gone. She then injected the woman with an analgesic hypo spray amidst Kathryn`s protests of being `ok.`

"Kathryn, please let me finish my job and then i will leave you in peace." The young woman said pleadingly.

"You are going to walk away and leave me alone? But i wanted to talk to you, please?" Janeway said and sighed. She wanted to talk to Seven about the young woman`s words from earlier. Seven felt her heart pumping at an alarming rate. She must stay and hear what Kathryn had to say.

"Very well, i shall stay."

 

It turned out that Seven`s fears were unfounded. Kathryn was just being her usual self, not really caring about her personal situations. Seven found out that Janeway was not careless in her personal affairs and hygiene. In fact she was meticulous but when it came to feminine issues or anything related to her sexuality then the older woman would carefully weigh her actions and judge herself before taking actions. Kathryn may be living in the 24 th century but even then her profession was still dominated by the more aggressive and intimidating males in many species. Anything feminine in most places was, except in the Federation, still widely considered a weakness. Seven did not understand this. The so called aggressive and intimidating types still ran to their partners and mothers with tender feelings whenever they needed a quiet moment to be embraced. Humanity was so very confusing sometimes. The young woman also understood that in the Delta Quadrant aggression and intimidation was a very much required character trait for survival. She understood that this was the reason why Kathryn Janeway had adopted this character trait otherwise Voyager would have perished a long time ago in this hostile quadrant of space.

 

With that revelation, Seven of Nine planned on showering her lover with all the love and affection she could think of, at least when they were in private. It would not do to caress the captain in public. Displaying love and affection was a `weakness,` after all. The young Borg woman shook her head again, for the upteenth time. They spent the rest of the day in bed cuddling and relaxing. Seven left to get them something to eat but mostly they sat or lay in bed talking and planning their future when they got off the planet and how they would handle and balance their relationship and careers.

 

The following morning the captain sat at the sole computer checking the area`s map. There seemed to be a region not affected by magnetic storms. Janeway thought the computer was malfunctioning but when Seven did some calculations she decided that there was a high percentage, even 80% chance that the region of space was magnetic force free. Janeway decided that they should attempt to investigate. This was an encouraging discovery since the area was not that far from where they crash landed nearly three weeks ago. Seven disappeared into the cargo hold while Janeway went to the kitchen to prepare a packed meal for them. She could hear Seven welding and hammering something. When it became quiet again Janeway decided to check on her friend. She found Seven sitting on a cargo container with a go cart looking contraption complete with a sheltered compartment. Kathryn was very proud of the young woman`s initiative and wit. Seven made the go cart out of the stretcher she used to carry the injured captain when they first arrived on the planet.

 

Seven drove the go cart while Janeway looked around through the binoculars. She noted the large birds flying towards the general direction where the tricorder indicated absence of magnetism. Soon the women figured out that the birds, like Earth`s birds, were able to visualize the planet`s magnetic field. So the women followed the birds above and the tricorder map reading. They traveled for about thirty kilometres when the terrain and vegetation changed. The soil took on a reddish colour and the soft green grass they were now familiar with took on a different colour. The grass here was tall and grayish brown and there were trees. They found a large river with clear water, probably the same which Kathryn saw when she first noted the birds a few days ago. They followed the river going upstream until they heard animals bleating and unmistakable sounds of beings talking. This encouraged the women but they were also cautious. Janeway felt for her phaser carefully hidden on her belt in her waist. She saw Seven do the same. Soon they slowed the cart down and tethered it to a nearby tree. 

 

The sun was high up in the sky when Kathryn saw a small humanoid boy with brown skin and long raven hair. It was clear that he was a boy judging by the look of the way he was dressed. The boy wore a nappy like cloth on his waist and nothing else. He looked to be about ten to twelve years old of age. Some sheep looking animals followed behind him as he silently led them to the river. The boy did not notice the cart or the two alien women standing aside the well trodden path. Finally he saw them. He did not run away or flinch. He merely looked at Kathryn and Seven curiously. The women saw him hesitate a bit then he finally approached them. 

 

Kathryn watched in fascination as the curious child stretched his hand towards her. Was it in greeting? So she stretched hers, while smiling and made face contact with the boy.

"Hello. I am Kathryn Janeway. This is Seven of Nine. What`s your name?" Janeway`s heart sank as she watched the boy take off at breakneck speed towards the direction he had just come from. Probable back to his village.

"Well, that went well." She exclaimed. Seven thought that they should wait.

"Perhaps the boy has gone to inform his elders. They will soon arrive....with spears, bows and arrows." Seven said dryly. Janeway looked at her astrometrics officer and shook her head.

"This is First Contact, Seven. You can`t expect it to go well 90% of the time."

"That is...comforting to hear, captain." Once again, Seven`s words were drier than the Sahara dessert at high noon. Kathryn could not hold in her laughter which was joined by Seven`s small melodic one. They soon stopped laughing when they heard someone calling out a name.

"Tha`re?! Tha`re?! Weren se pepel?" The tricorder translated the call as "Earth?! Earth?! Where are the people?" Finally Janeway and Seven saw a male humanoid, similarly dressed as the young boy they made first contact with earlier. The man looked curiously at the women and approached them cautiously. When he reached them he stood before them and stretched a hand toward Kathryn in just the same way the boy did. Kathryn stretched hers back towards the man. He grasped Kathryn`s firmly and shook it for a few seconds while saying something. "Malaas, pepel" The tricorder translated this as "Salaam, people. An ancient language used by Terran inhabitants of the Middle Eastern parts. He released it and offered Seven a greeting. The young woman took it and shook it. The man pointed to his chest and said something which sounded like a name. "Maresh." Janeway did not need the tricorder to translate that for her. It was obvious the man was telling her his name.

"I am Kathryn Janeway and this is Seven." Janeway smiled.

"Saba`a?" He asked.

"Yes." Seven said and the man looked satisfied with the reply. He stretched his arms towards the path he had come from and started leading the way. Janeway understood this to mean "Follow me." So the women did just that.

 

Soon the women and Maresh had walked along a well trodden path with Seven pulling the go cart. The path led to a big village compound. Many children, both boys and girls dressed similar to the little boy they saw earlier but the girls wore an additional cloth to their chests. Soon the go cart had attracted the children`s attention and adults too. Women covered in colourful and bright clothes came out to meet the alien women among them. Men came out too. A woman with auburn hair went to the children and bowed herself to their eye level. She spoke quietly while gesturing with both arms to emphasize what she was saying. When she stretched herself up again the children dispersed from the go cart and went to continue playing the game from before Janeway and Seven arrived. Kathryn was impressed at the woman`s skill to control rambunctious children. She wondered briefly as to how this woman possessed auburn hair while the others had raven hair. Kathryn abandoned the thought when she thought of all the variations that existed in her own Federation world.

 

Maresh led the women to a large house in the centre of the village. It was cool and airy inside and brightly decorated with framed pictures of trees and flowers and even animals with their scientific names. The images seemed to have been taken by a late 20th century gadget called a camera. The hut was large and round with neatly thatched roof. Seven identified the grass used for the roofing as the same they had seen on their way to the village. A tall woman came to meet them. She greeted them in...English? Janeway looked at the standby mode of her tricorder screen which indicated that it had not be used for about ten minutes. She looked back up at the tall woman with auburn hair. Another auburn haired woman. Janeway thought idly then she shook her head in order to concentrate.

"Welcome, strangers. Are you wondering whether your instrument is malfunctioning? Believe me, it is not. I speak Lizia." The tricorder screen lit up to translate the word as "Al`iinjilizia" or "English." The woman smiled and offered her hand in greeting. "I am Sumin, the village elder."

"Kathryn Janeway and this is my friend, Seven of Nine." 

"I know there`s a lot you have left out to say because we`re from different worlds and we lead different lifestyles but we will soon have that chat. For now we will celebrate. It`s not everyday when we get visitors from...where did you say you`re from?" Sumin looked at Kathryn expectantly. 

"Earth." Janeway said. She understood that to mean Prime Directive. She must have a real chat with this woman soon. She may know a thing or two to help them get off this planet or at the very least help them communicate with their ship.

"Earth." The village elder repeated the name.

 

Elder Sumin ordered a feast be prepared for the strangers from Earth. Janeway`s instinct knew that Sumin knew a lot about them but decided to play innocent. She would try to get to the bottom of things. She looked at Seven and saw that the ex drone was quietly playing with a little girl on the floor. A crooked smile appeared on the captain`s face when she saw the tender scene. She briefly imagined that the beautiful little one was their daughter. It was a lovely thought but she was still the captain and should not get in the habit of getting carried away by cute or lovely scenarios. 

 

It was late afternoon when Janeway and Seven plus their hosts and hostesses had eaten lovely and familiar food and drank liquids of all colours of the rainbow. Janeway had stopped looking up their names on her tricorder and decided to just enjoy and be Kathryn for once. It was when Sumin decided to tell the visitors the tale of Tha`re. "My ancestors were abducted in the late 1960s from Tha`re or Earth as you call it. It was the time when two major powerful warring nations of Tha`re became unusually obsessed with space travel. They built pencil shaped rockets and placed animals, plants and people in them and sent them high above the planet`s surface in unsafe environments with minimal clothing of armour. They would record such events and broadcast them throughout the world for all to see their successes while poverty and strife reigned in other areas of life. One scientist, Jarkin Selan and his wife Orten, sick and tired of the government`s childish game decided to quietly build a functional space vessel. It was cube shaped as he figured that shape did not matter as long as one is in space. You would not have to worry about aero dynamics, which only mattered in planetary atmospheres anyway. He stole the best parts he needed from different areas since he was a well known engineer and had clearance to high places. Once complete he and other disgruntled academics and their families decided to try the contraption in real space as there was no way of testing a vessel that large without the rousing the government`s suspicion. At one point they were almost discovered by secret government agents. So Jarkin and Orten pretended that they were simple folk who were leaders of a local church. They were left alone. So my ancestors set off in faith one night. They flew the cube shaped space vessel and it worked. Records indicate that smaller cubes were built on the way when the space cube became a generational ship. A few of them were assimilated by the Borg hence the Borg shaped ships." She looked at Seven and smiled. "You`re welcome." Sumin winked at Seven while the other woman simply raised an eye brow.

"My ancestors decided to name this world Tha`re which is really Earth by mixing the letters around. Unfortunately the Collective knew of their existence and their brilliant minds so they came and assimilated a few more of our scientists. Our records show that the last time the Borg visited was more than four hundred years ago. They have not been able to return ever since because a group of scientists, fed up with the Borg bullies, decided to blast a large hole in Tha`re`s crust and release the magnetic force. Whatever comes down cannot go up. We are hoping to attract a cube or two to fall through and perhaps we can return to our original home one day. Unfortunately the magnetic force may have affected animals. I believe you have noted the abnormally large sized birds on your way here? And you may have noticed their almost human intelligence? " Janeway recalled her encounter with the baby bird she had named `Little Mollie.`

"So the magnetic force is used as a planetary defence system?" Janeway said, clearly impressed.

"Yes." The elder smiled proudly and sipped at her drink.

 

They had a few more chats while drinking different coloured drinks, Seven noted that she had sampled drinks of at least all colours of the rainbow. She had drank five millilitres of each coloured drinks which made it thirty five millilitres in total. She would not get drank. The Borg woman was glad that she was wise enough to not over indulge, unlike her companion. At least one of them had to stay sober to operate the go cart.


	9. Of rescues and self doubts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Voyager has returned for her wayward crewmen. Both women secretly wallow in self doubt over maintaining their new found love when they return to the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long break between chapters. All i can say is that i am trying to keep coming back here to update unfinished work. Unfortunately life has other ideas! I hope you will bear with me :)

Janeway and Seven of Nine decided to return to the Delta Flyer and spend the night there despite the villagers` protests to stay the night at the village. The star ship captain promised Elder Sumin that they would return the following day to continue their chat. Sumin seemed satisfied by that explanation but what Janeway really wanted was to go back and find out if there were any messages from her beloved ship. Seven noted that her captain was quite tipsy and seemed to favour her left side when walking so the young woman held the captain by the arm and led her to the go cart. The whole village came out to see their distant cousins off.

"Sev..Shevv..en, what the hell did i drink at the village? I think you`re glowing. Can you make love to me?" Janeway slurred then threw herself to the side of the moving cart and threw up everything she had eaten and drank at the village.

"Oh, Lord. I`m really sorry about that, Love. Could you please hurry to the Flyer. My head is killing me." The captain complained. Seven knew that Janeway was quite intoxicated by the different alcoholic beverages she sampled at the village. She discreetly scanned the captain with her tricorder and her fears were confirmed. Janeway had way too much alcohol in her systems. She had to get to the Flyer faster so she could treat the woman.

"No need to apologise for being ill, captain. I shall get you back at the Flyer in record time. Just lie back and try to relax." Seven said as she caused the go cart to accelerate.

 

Back in the Delta Flyer a few messages awaited them but Seven carried the captain and laid her on the bed. Janeway had passed out on the way from the village. Seven rummaged through the med kit and found a hypo spray. She brought it to the slumbering woman along with a jug of water. Seven then injected the other woman with the hypo spray. 

 

Janeway sat up with a confused expression on her beautiful face.

"Seven, what`s going on?"

"You were inebriated then passed out in the go cart. I injected you with a hypo spray. The neutralising effects is already taking place." Seven said as she scanned the captain with her tricorder.

 

The star ship Voyager orbited the weird magnetic planet. The resourceful crew had found a way to counteract the magnetic effects of the planet. Chakotay had sent the women an elaborate report of every minute detail on how they had enhanced the shields and how they had reversed the polarity of both primary and secondary hulls. Seven had appreciated these reports because of the attention to detail Voyager`s chief engineer had put in. She would read the report soon but for now Seven of Nine was going to look after her secret lover. Seven felt apprehension seeping through her as she remembered that they would be rescued and head back to Voyager. Will Kathryn maintain their relationship or reject their love?

 

A few hours later Janeway was sitting at the computer reading and analysing the report. She had figured out a plan they could use to enhance the Delta Flyer so she could help the larger ship in its mission. Kathryn stared at the computer blankly as she remembered that she was going to resume her role as captain Janeway. How would she handle a personal relationship? Self doubt and worry slowly crept to the conscious part of her brain.


	10. They are as one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voyager crew rescues the stranded captain and astrometrics officer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the final chapter of Nanoprobes is here :) Sorry for waiting this long, guys and thank you for staying with me.
> 
> The title of this chapter "They are as one" was borrowed from Seven of Nine in the 100th episode "Timeless". She was drunk and patted the Doctor on the chest as they walked out of a party in the mess hall. She told everyone they passed: "He is my friend" and "We are as one."

"Welcome, captain, Seven." Chakotay and Tuvok said as they stood in the transporter room at the base of the transporter pad. Both the first and second in command were dressed in their dress uniforms.

"It`s good to be back, commander, lieutenant commander." Janeway said as soon as she, her astrometrics officer and Elder Sumin materialized on the transporter pad. She raised and eye brow at the dress uniforms her officers were wearing but she did not comment on it. Her eye brow went further up her face when she saw Harry Kim, also in dress uniform, operating the transporter controls.

 

The four officers and the native woman from Tha`re walked along Voyager`s corridors towards the bridge. Janeway walked beside commander Chakotay while Seven and Elder Sumin walked behind them. Lieutenant commander Tuvok brought up the rear. As they walked Janeway noticed the ever efficient crew going about their duties, most of them smiled at her as they welcomed their captain back on board.

"Report!" Janeway ordered as they walked.

"The crew morale was at such a low ebb that most of them refused to sleep preferring to work on magnetic enhancers against Tha`re. They even formed theories that i am not trying hard enough and that it was a well planned mutiny to overtake the ship. The truth is that we all missed you so much." Then in a conspiratorial tone, "I missed having you on board, captain. Welcome back." He smiled a dimpled smile at her, causing Janeway to blush.

 

Seven of Nine, who was walking right behind Janeway, noted the slight redness on the back of the captain`s neck and ears. She fumed with jealousy which threatened to overtake the normally logical woman. To make matters worse, Seven of Nine could clearly hear the captain`s thoughts.

"Hmm, Chakotay, is that all you missed about me? Flattery won`t get you anywhere!" Then Seven heard Janeway`s audible reply to Chakotay: "Thank you, Commander. I missed everyone too." The young woman thought briefly about Kathryn`s response. Hope returned to her as it dawned on her that the captain had maintained to address her second in command by his title rather than his name. The young woman was unsure as to the reason why this made her feel better. She will have to consult Voyager`s database later.

 

After a brief discussion in the ready room, the second in command, Neelix and B`Elanna Torres beamed down to the planet with elder Sumin to deliver supplies to the planet and gather food supplies the elder had prepared for the Voyager crew to get. Janeway, Seven and the security chief, Tuvok headed to sick bay. 

 

In sick bay the EMH welcomed the women back in his usual chirpy manner. He fussed over them and placed overhead scanners above their bio beds. Janeway dreaded this bit of the physical. Unfortunately she knew the Away Mission protocols clearly stated that: Upon return from any away mission, crew members are expected to undergo complete physical assessments from the chief medical doctor on board a star ship. So the captain lay patiently on the bio bed waiting for the doctor to do his duty. She felt like a sacrificial lamb on an alter then she shook her head, wondering where the absurd thought had come from. When she turned her head to see how Seven was faring, she saw the young woman smile at her. Janeway realised that her hearing was quite enhanced. She could hear the other woman`s thoughts even more clearer than she did on the planet below. The captain thought she heard Seven encouraging her to `hung on in there.` She smiled a crooked smile at Seven.

Then audibly the captain complained. "How long will the tests take, Doctor?"

"Hmm? Oh, as long as it will take." The EMH punched numbers on his computer which produced melodic sounds as he did. Janeway concentrated on Seven`s thoughts of reassurance and soon dozed off on the examination bed.

"Captain, i will have to examine you, physically."

"Why? Can`t your scanners do that?"

"No, not everything. I believe i have picked something on the CT scans of your chest, particularly on your mammary glands and another thing on a CT scan of your pelvic region but don`t be alarmed. I will only palpate it with my hands. I only want to prove a theory then i will let you know everything. Is that ok with you?" For a moment, Janeway looked at him apprehensively. A memory from a few years ago, when the Doctor had added too many psychiatric sub routines to his matrix, had overloaded and overtaken his holographic systems, came to the surface. She searched his eyes for a moment. As she did, Janeway could hear Seven reassuring her. "Do not worry, Kathryn. He is as you may say `clean.`" Janeway felt laughter bubbling up, threatening to burst out of her mouth. She managed to curb it down to a smile. Laughing would not do at this time. The truth of her trepidation, however, was the fact that if the Doctor discovered that the women had a somehow linked mind, Janeway could be considered a threat to the ship as she could be controlled by Seven. These thoughts, she realised, were Seven`s fears as well. So, Kathryn closed her eyes and sent reassuring thoughts to her secret lover, well, secret to the crew. She smiled and the Doctor mistook it as consent to his request for exams.

 

The EMH activated the opaque screen around the two bio beds. He dismissed his sick bay assistants, assigning duties to them which kept them away from the Isolation Bay bio beds. Then he donned a gown and moved over to Janeway`s bed.

"Captain, i would like to start. May i ask you to disrobe?" He said in a calm, professional tone. Janeway did as ordered. She stripped down to her bra and panties and lay back down again.

"Hmm, ah, uh huh. Huh?" The EMH wondered as he found something on Janeway`s left breast akin to a Borg implant. He palpated it again and was sure it was an implant. Now he will have to see it.

"Captain, may i ask again. Could you please take off the material covering your mammaries?" Janeway rolled her eyes at the polite request and took off her bra, remaining with her panties on. She pulled the blue sick bay sheet over her hips. She blushed as her nipples stiffened. Then she realised the cause of it. Seven was looking at her lustfully.

 

Janeway looked at her girlfriend sharply and was just in time to see Seven look away but she did not miss the mischievous smile on the young woman`s face.

"Naughty Borg!" She murmured under her breath.

"What was that, captain?" The Doctor paused from touching a small silver spider looking implant on Janeway`s left breast.

"Nothing. What have you found?" She changed the subject.

"I`m not sure but this looks like a Borg implant. I wonder how it came to be there. You are not Borg, captain."

"No, i am not but I have a theorem. I have been assimilated before. so chances are it may have been dormant all this time and only got activated when i was stressed down on Tha`re?"

"My theory, exactly, captain. It could also be that you and Seven had an intimate joining of some sort."

"What are you saying, Doctor?" Janeway said in an icy tone in her voice that the Doctor felt the room`s temperature drop to freezing point in an instant.

"I..i`m sorry, captain. I only meant it in a strictly medical manner. I mean your report said that you were unconscious causing Seven to intervene. Seven`s report says that she provided first aid to save your life. I am merely attempting to join the two reports." Janeway took a deep breath in and slowly released it. She knew that there was nothing she could hide from her Doctor and friend so she decided to just tell him what she had left out from her report.

 

The Doctor was surprisingly professional about the fact that Janeway and Seven had a joined mind of sorts and that it may be temporary or even permanent. That Janeway had implants and active nanoprobes in her systems just like Seven. The only difference was that she did not require regeneration. He also learned that the women had to rely on each other for so long while stranded on Tha`re without the comforts and luxury of the star ship but themselves, it was only natural for them to bond the way they had. He briefly mourned what he and Seven may have had in terms of a relationship but deep down he knew that he stood no chance as long as Janeway was around. The women belonged with each other. With that in mind, he dismissed the captain as passing her post away mission physical. He left out the implant and joining of the minds phenomenon out of his official ship`s medical report. He ordered her to have a good night`s rest and a couple of days off. He also ordered Seven to have twelve hours of regeneration. The Doctor recommended that the women remain close to each other for continued emotional support. He sent the report to Tuvok, the security chief and another to Commander Chakotay.

 

As the ship continued on its way back to the Alpha Quadrant, Tuvok read the Doctor`s security report. He immediately knew that the EMH had left out a lot of details. He was not surprised by this at all. Tuvok knew that the captain will tell him the truth one day. For now he will treat the captain`s relationship with Seven as strictly `medical,` as it was well known among the crew that the captain did not fraternize with her crew. 

 

Commander Chakotay read the Doctor`s report. He suspected nothing.

 

THE END.


End file.
